The following post was typewritten on my mobile phone (T9 input) with an sms editor for my text-editing. So please adjust with the bad grammar. (Or be willing to fund an IPhone :)
Most of you (specially from delhi) would agree that one of the joys of using public transport is staring at other people.. The bunch of people sitting in front of me showed a slice of delhi culture..
The most prominent were a family of three.. migrant workers; most probably from hariyana, judging from their garb. The son, somewhere around 5 was full of life.. The father with a tiffin carrier between his fingers had an exhausted look on his face.. Obviously the family can't afford to take sunday off work, and junior had to tag along..
The kid was full of life, however.. Jumping around, asking a hundred n one questions to his mother, and playing with her.. It was nice to see the tired mom still have energy to play with her kid in spite of the hard day at work past.. Today was one of the hottest days, with temperatures blazing at 45c. The father, on the other hand, didn't want to join in the fun.. May be there was a jnu on his mind? May be he was self-conscious?
Next to this family, was a young couple engrossed with eachother; playing with a mobile phone, and learning the meaning of pda at the same time.. They paid no attention to the family next to them, even when the jittel boy put his dirty bare foot on the man's pants creating a footprint..
On the other end, was a plump man in his early 40s sporting a big moustache, he was watching the entire spectacle in disdain. Specially when the little kid put his feet on the chair, dirtying it.. The mother, catching his glance, quickly wiped off the stain with her saree, but not chiding her baby boy..
Isn't it how our city is, more or less? Mainly inhabited by the migrant worker, struggling to eke out a living, hoping to make it big in the city, and learning to find joy in little things that line their great hardships.. Our city cannot do without them.. However, the ones who have (or whose parents have) found wealth in the city either ignore the poor because they are caught up in their own world of unlimited pleasure they can now afford, judging by the new tabooless cultures they can now access due to their material surplus.. or look at them in disdain, assuming that it was all their own fault that they are poor.. But the poor are least bothered.. They cautiously keep a low profile while they continue their pursuit of happiness.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Few Random things
Present circumstances (meaning me being unnecessarily stressed out about the packing and moving to Kolkata, and then to Trivandrum, and then to Bangalore) have not allowed me to write sensible posts, so just so you (whoever you are) know that I am here, I thought I'd put up a few random things that happened to me during the past month.
- I installed my cooler. Cut a chunk of my finger in the process. But I slept really well.
- All-out (A liquid mosquito repellant) apparently doesn't work in anybody else's house but mine.
- I helped in a (failed) Lumbar Puncture. The guy was too big to hold steady all by myself.
- 70% of work at Shalom is done. Which is why I get time to type this up.
- I need to collect photos from friends. After which I'll post links. Sadly, I haven't used my own camera (great as it is) to its full potential.
- It's hot here, beyond comprehension. Even for a dilli-wala. I have a feeling the temperature will hit 50C this year. (122F)
- I puked an entire night's dinner and the next days breakfast because of dehydration. I had no idea that dehydration could do that!
- I'm seriously thinking about starting a new blog on music you don't have to buy. That I imagine I would update that one more often. Generally the plan dies out soon after the 'contemplative stage'.
- A pigeon laid an egg in my balcony yesterday. And I thought it would have a nest at least. It laid the egg on the floor! And now it just sits on it. Wonder what it does when the sun comes up. DIY bird-nests anybody?
- Can't wait to get out of Delhi. There is that feeling of unease that creeps in the moment you know you'll be leaving in a few days.
- I've had the honor of meeting so many good friends here. As much as I want to run away, I feel sad leaving them all behind.
Have a Great Weekend!
Friday, April 09, 2010
Movie Watching
This photo was taken the last time I went to a movie. Sherlock Holmes was playing, and I don't think I can miss Guy Richie's movies for the world. But in spite of all the drama that I lavished on the movie to my friends, I managed to miss the first 15 minutes, which had the famous fight-scene.But no matter (I managed snag a pirated version from a friend later on) this blog is not about Guy Richie, or Downey Jr, but about watching movies in general.
It's amazing where God has placed me. I live in a time and place where the technology is so good that I can get a movie within 2 hours, and live in a country is so poor that I won't get caught that easily for pirating. So, for my kind, watching the movie in a theater does not make much sense. It's just louder, the pop-corn is expensive, you have to travel to the nearest theater, and shell out a lot of money, and you can't fast forward through the boring scenes!
But there is still a special charm of watching a movie in a theater with friend(s). The picture you see was taken on Republic Day just after I got out of the theater. The fog was so dense that (other than giving the chance for a brilliant pic, which I obviously messed up - blame it on the camera) I had to walk alone for 2 kilometers through criss-crossing streets in silence in 10meter visibility at 11 in the night. The place where I was walking a famous dumping ground for thieves. They basically dumped their victims on the very roads I was walking on!
Watching the movie in a theater is never about the movie (at least in my context) but about the experience of getting there and getting back!
I'm going to watch green-zone today. If Matt D delivers, I will most probably download it to watch it again and again till I memorize every scene!
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Social Transition
Today I had the opportunity to witness the birth-pains of a transition. A social transition. The first steps of a village man in the new city.
I had to take a friend's mobile phone to the service center to get it repaired. Apparently sony ericsson is not a good phone to buy, especially if it's the expensive kind. Their service centre is pretty busy, even at closing hours!
As I was standing in line, a young woman in her late teens came over to one of the service guys and started taking it out on him. Apparently, he had not been courteous enough to her or something, but she was really bringing the roof down. While she was doing so, the object of the ranting was grinning from ear to ear, infuriating the girl even more. The manager of the place tried to apologise for his junior, but the rascal simply couldn't resist grinning.
The girl (who seemed to know something about what she was talking about) shouted threats to close down the shop, and to go to consumer court, etc.,
Later on, after the storm settled and the girls disappeared from the area, the manager, who was a soft-spoken man himself told the rascal to get down.
Translated:
Manager: "Arrey yaar, what is it with you? Why can't you just say sorry? Even if it's not your fault, all you need to do is say sorry, and they leave peacefully."
Rascal: "What do you mean? First of all she's a girl and she shouldn't be talking like that. And It's as though it was my fault. Why should I say sorry?"
Random Customer: "Yeah... girls shouldn't be talking like this... What did he do wrong?"
Manager: (Obviously pissed a third person is messing up with his scolding) "We try to run a business here. A quick apology makes the problem go away, and we can get on with our work. Arguments just waste everyone's time"
Rascal: (trying to rally in the customer's sympathy) "She actually lives in a Juggi in Uttam Nagar, Why should I listen to her?"
Manager at this time gave up hope and decided to take a break.
Rascal seemed to be quite stubborn with his ideals. But, thankfully, his success in the industry he works in largely depends on his attitudes to his customers irrespective of their culture, background, etc. It won't be long before he understands that his livelihood depends on customers like the irate young girl, and that it would do him more good to actually treat the girl, in spite of her ignorance, with respect.
He will also realize that taking the support of busybody customers just to prove his point won't get him anywhere in life. And that the ways of the village and terms like 'izzat' and pride don't really make sense in the city. Thus he makes his first steps into a new culture where things are different. They are hard for poor rascal, but they're the values of the city, and they will keep him alive.
The sad thing about this however, is that Rascal will only embody these values to earn his daily bread, and that's about it. If only he is able to take it a step further and treat undeserving people with respect just because he has been treated with respect in spite of himself.
I had to take a friend's mobile phone to the service center to get it repaired. Apparently sony ericsson is not a good phone to buy, especially if it's the expensive kind. Their service centre is pretty busy, even at closing hours!
As I was standing in line, a young woman in her late teens came over to one of the service guys and started taking it out on him. Apparently, he had not been courteous enough to her or something, but she was really bringing the roof down. While she was doing so, the object of the ranting was grinning from ear to ear, infuriating the girl even more. The manager of the place tried to apologise for his junior, but the rascal simply couldn't resist grinning.
The girl (who seemed to know something about what she was talking about) shouted threats to close down the shop, and to go to consumer court, etc.,
Later on, after the storm settled and the girls disappeared from the area, the manager, who was a soft-spoken man himself told the rascal to get down.
Translated:
Manager: "Arrey yaar, what is it with you? Why can't you just say sorry? Even if it's not your fault, all you need to do is say sorry, and they leave peacefully."
Rascal: "What do you mean? First of all she's a girl and she shouldn't be talking like that. And It's as though it was my fault. Why should I say sorry?"
Random Customer: "Yeah... girls shouldn't be talking like this... What did he do wrong?"
Manager: (Obviously pissed a third person is messing up with his scolding) "We try to run a business here. A quick apology makes the problem go away, and we can get on with our work. Arguments just waste everyone's time"
Rascal: (trying to rally in the customer's sympathy) "She actually lives in a Juggi in Uttam Nagar, Why should I listen to her?"
Manager at this time gave up hope and decided to take a break.
Rascal seemed to be quite stubborn with his ideals. But, thankfully, his success in the industry he works in largely depends on his attitudes to his customers irrespective of their culture, background, etc. It won't be long before he understands that his livelihood depends on customers like the irate young girl, and that it would do him more good to actually treat the girl, in spite of her ignorance, with respect.
He will also realize that taking the support of busybody customers just to prove his point won't get him anywhere in life. And that the ways of the village and terms like 'izzat' and pride don't really make sense in the city. Thus he makes his first steps into a new culture where things are different. They are hard for poor rascal, but they're the values of the city, and they will keep him alive.
The sad thing about this however, is that Rascal will only embody these values to earn his daily bread, and that's about it. If only he is able to take it a step further and treat undeserving people with respect just because he has been treated with respect in spite of himself.
Monday, February 08, 2010
Philosophy of the Present, and it's uselessness
I was in the middle of reading Badiou's discourse in the Badiou-Zizek's Philsophy in the Present, an ebook I picked up on random after hearing of Zizek's interesting views on society from the angry ol' man. Badiou had just finished outlining his three rules of incommensurable entities; or something like that, when I heard shouting in the house nearby.
A typical fight between husband and wife, I thought. Something I've grown cold listening to every night. But tonight (may be it being a Saturday night?) the husband was home drunk. Soon the wife started shrieking, and seconds later, she burst into loud wailing. The banging of their front door reverbrated through the corridor we share, and angry footsteps walked past my door, leaving behind silence, interrupted by sobs.
The footsteps walked back to the door,and the shouting resumed. Longer, this time, with the woman shouting louder and angrier, but sadly from behind my closed door I could hear the brokenness and defeat in her voice.
A baby had also started crying in the background, and both parents began to take their frustration on the child. The argument stopped and someone turned up the TV volume. Laughter and joke cracking erupts around the corridor, and the baby's wails have turned into confused laughter and sobs at the same time.
Sitting on my bed, I fought with thoughts of going outside and glaring at the man. Another good friend had warned me that I was no wrestler, and the very thoughts of chivalry were dissolved in a good dose of fear. It was when Badiou suddenly lost all relevance in life.
(Non-pseudophilo geeks pl skip this)
Well I could bring out the incommensurable relationship of the continuity of a normal family life with the exception, namely today's fight, which breaks the rule of the general set-up. The incommensurable relationship where one makes a decision between two points of view (well, i can't assure you there were points of view; The wordless-yet-loud argument between husband and wife which does not get resolved. But what really is the relevance of this brilliant way of looking at things? Finding the characteristics of the universal doesn't make sense in a time like this!
Ok, I'm finished with the pseudophilo bs... I've had my fun :)
I couldn't understand what had happened but I don't think what happened there was right. But I cannot pin-point who's at fault. I cannot say what is to be done to make the situation okay. I cannot from my place even try to make this wrong situation right. Hence, I just witnessed something bad happen, and couldn't do anything about it.
The world in itself is full of 'bad' things happening on large and small scales. Most of the time, we can't get our head around it, let alone solve it. Why is it so hard? simply because we are a part of the problem we're trying to solve (making it a mystery, according to RZ) Don't you think the hope for us could only lie outside us?
A typical fight between husband and wife, I thought. Something I've grown cold listening to every night. But tonight (may be it being a Saturday night?) the husband was home drunk. Soon the wife started shrieking, and seconds later, she burst into loud wailing. The banging of their front door reverbrated through the corridor we share, and angry footsteps walked past my door, leaving behind silence, interrupted by sobs.
The footsteps walked back to the door,and the shouting resumed. Longer, this time, with the woman shouting louder and angrier, but sadly from behind my closed door I could hear the brokenness and defeat in her voice.
A baby had also started crying in the background, and both parents began to take their frustration on the child. The argument stopped and someone turned up the TV volume. Laughter and joke cracking erupts around the corridor, and the baby's wails have turned into confused laughter and sobs at the same time.
Sitting on my bed, I fought with thoughts of going outside and glaring at the man. Another good friend had warned me that I was no wrestler, and the very thoughts of chivalry were dissolved in a good dose of fear. It was when Badiou suddenly lost all relevance in life.
(Non-pseudophilo geeks pl skip this)
Well I could bring out the incommensurable relationship of the continuity of a normal family life with the exception, namely today's fight, which breaks the rule of the general set-up. The incommensurable relationship where one makes a decision between two points of view (well, i can't assure you there were points of view; The wordless-yet-loud argument between husband and wife which does not get resolved. But what really is the relevance of this brilliant way of looking at things? Finding the characteristics of the universal doesn't make sense in a time like this!
Ok, I'm finished with the pseudophilo bs... I've had my fun :)
I couldn't understand what had happened but I don't think what happened there was right. But I cannot pin-point who's at fault. I cannot say what is to be done to make the situation okay. I cannot from my place even try to make this wrong situation right. Hence, I just witnessed something bad happen, and couldn't do anything about it.
The world in itself is full of 'bad' things happening on large and small scales. Most of the time, we can't get our head around it, let alone solve it. Why is it so hard? simply because we are a part of the problem we're trying to solve (making it a mystery, according to RZ) Don't you think the hope for us could only lie outside us?
Friday, January 01, 2010
Old Year Reminiscing
Old Year Reminiscing
The past year has been quite a ride; and I have had many opportunities to learn valuable life-lessons. So, apart from the usual stock-taking of the amazing blessings this year, I will also try to put down valuable lessons I've learnt this year, and also, when relevant, mention the people instrumental in teaching me these lessons.
So here goes.. Blessings.
I celebrated New Years last year at a friend's place in Delhi. A bunch of friends got together at 10:30pm, had a late dinner, and watched movies uptil 4 in the morning. After a brief sleep, we all woke up at 10am and began discussing politics, religion, faith, etc. If it was not for them, I would have meditated longer on the year past and the year ahead by myself, but it's only fellowship with friends like these that make New-Years different from the other holiday. Of course I had a brilliant dinner with other church friends at another place.
From here on, like to split my year into 3 chunks. The first 6 months, July, and the last 5 months.
The first 6 months.
These months were in Delhi, where I had a great time at work, and at church.
I got a chance to visit 2 places in Bihar and one place in Haryana on official duty during this time.
I got a chance to attend a cathedral service and sing bass to 'All hail the power of Jesus' Name' at the top of my voice
I enjoyed fellowship of wonderful church members in my own church. At first I was upset that there aren't many bachelors to have fun with after service, but having married members in church do have their perks.
I got to attend a piano masterclass
I got a chance to find a house of my own on rent.
I got a a new mobile phone that I can surf the net on
Things I learnt.
- You look the stupidest when you lose control of your tongue. Verbal diarrhoea sounds good only when the words are carefully scripted, and not ad-lib
- It's important to stay in touch. Though it's hard - Joseph
- Facilitated group discussions are better learning tools than lecturing - Mark D
- The art of summarizing - Mark D
- It's futile to argue with anyone above thirty (Well there are a few open-minded ones)
- Asking questions is an important tenet to listening - Moni S
- Heart-breaks stalls intelligent behavior - Anil
- There are always people to pray for you - Seema
- Going out of your way to help perfect strangers could be rewarding - Seema
- Spicy pork curry and rajaa mirchi pulls you out of depression - Khaning n Achui
- Driving late at New Years Night in Dwarka is dangerous. Too much fog -John n Jas
July
- I got a chance to visit a foreign country. (I count Nepal as a foreign country)
- A reassurance that I've got friends and family to support me when I'm dow
- I got to know what a cannula means, and that I don't need to be afraid of it.
- That TB could be a pain in the neck (well, chest... actually)
- Facilitated group discussions are so- so - so much harder than lecturing
- Overworking gets you nowhere, but it gives you a slight high.
- IVs hurt less than IM injections
- Nursing is the most under-rated profession
- The bigger the hospital, the bigger the cheats inside it
- Voveran helps.. Especially when you have a fever. - Dr Saira
- That I tend to take my health lightly. (I don't know how to take it heavily.. err seriously)
Last 5 Months
- To be taken care of by others after fending for yourself for a while requires humility
- That to leave your life in God's hands could mean that God won't tell you what exactly He's going to do with it.
- To not know what exactly God has planned could be very very annoying
- Controling emotions is no joke. (Still haven't figured out how that works)
- To take life one step at a time, especially when they are slow ones, requires patience-and faith... grr
- To fight with God really means to kick against the goads.. Ouch. I'd rather fight with myself. To hell with self-preservation
- That it's too easy to be a snob, and harder to get down to another's level
- Excitement is one cure for depression - Rachel K
Let's see what the new year brings!
Thanks for reading!!!
The past year has been quite a ride; and I have had many opportunities to learn valuable life-lessons. So, apart from the usual stock-taking of the amazing blessings this year, I will also try to put down valuable lessons I've learnt this year, and also, when relevant, mention the people instrumental in teaching me these lessons.
So here goes.. Blessings.
I celebrated New Years last year at a friend's place in Delhi. A bunch of friends got together at 10:30pm, had a late dinner, and watched movies uptil 4 in the morning. After a brief sleep, we all woke up at 10am and began discussing politics, religion, faith, etc. If it was not for them, I would have meditated longer on the year past and the year ahead by myself, but it's only fellowship with friends like these that make New-Years different from the other holiday. Of course I had a brilliant dinner with other church friends at another place.
From here on, like to split my year into 3 chunks. The first 6 months, July, and the last 5 months.
The first 6 months.
These months were in Delhi, where I had a great time at work, and at church.
I got a chance to visit 2 places in Bihar and one place in Haryana on official duty during this time.
I got a chance to attend a cathedral service and sing bass to 'All hail the power of Jesus' Name' at the top of my voice
I enjoyed fellowship of wonderful church members in my own church. At first I was upset that there aren't many bachelors to have fun with after service, but having married members in church do have their perks.
I got to attend a piano masterclass
I got a chance to find a house of my own on rent.
I got a a new mobile phone that I can surf the net on
Things I learnt.
- You look the stupidest when you lose control of your tongue. Verbal diarrhoea sounds good only when the words are carefully scripted, and not ad-lib
- It's important to stay in touch. Though it's hard - Joseph
- Facilitated group discussions are better learning tools than lecturing - Mark D
- The art of summarizing - Mark D
- It's futile to argue with anyone above thirty (Well there are a few open-minded ones)
- Asking questions is an important tenet to listening - Moni S
- Heart-breaks stalls intelligent behavior - Anil
- There are always people to pray for you - Seema
- Going out of your way to help perfect strangers could be rewarding - Seema
- Spicy pork curry and rajaa mirchi pulls you out of depression - Khaning n Achui
- Driving late at New Years Night in Dwarka is dangerous. Too much fog -John n Jas
July
- I got a chance to visit a foreign country. (I count Nepal as a foreign country)
- A reassurance that I've got friends and family to support me when I'm dow
- I got to know what a cannula means, and that I don't need to be afraid of it.
- That TB could be a pain in the neck (well, chest... actually)
- Facilitated group discussions are so- so - so much harder than lecturing
- Overworking gets you nowhere, but it gives you a slight high.
- IVs hurt less than IM injections
- Nursing is the most under-rated profession
- The bigger the hospital, the bigger the cheats inside it
- Voveran helps.. Especially when you have a fever. - Dr Saira
- That I tend to take my health lightly. (I don't know how to take it heavily.. err seriously)
Last 5 Months
- To be taken care of by others after fending for yourself for a while requires humility
- That to leave your life in God's hands could mean that God won't tell you what exactly He's going to do with it.
- To not know what exactly God has planned could be very very annoying
- Controling emotions is no joke. (Still haven't figured out how that works)
- To take life one step at a time, especially when they are slow ones, requires patience-and faith... grr
- To fight with God really means to kick against the goads.. Ouch. I'd rather fight with myself. To hell with self-preservation
- That it's too easy to be a snob, and harder to get down to another's level
- Excitement is one cure for depression - Rachel K
Let's see what the new year brings!
Thanks for reading!!!
Christmas fun
We, the Joseph family didn't know where we'd be spending Christmas until the very last moment. With late planning, and circumstances changing faster than the speed of light, we didn't know whether we'd spend it here in Calcutta, or if we'd manage to book late tickets so that we could have some family time with Grandparents, cousins etc.
But things worked out so well by God's grace, all the tickets were booked and confirmed without much hassle (how was that possible in the holiday season?!)
Being someone who has only just gathered up the courage to make mile-long walks after months of not leaving the house compound on foot due to fear of exhaustion, I found the prospect exciting. Fun with cousins in the middle of tea and cardamom plantations would test my physical stamina and pump clean fresh-tea-and-cardomom-filled air into my TB fluid filled lungs making it a truly rejuvinating experience. Just what I need.
And it's just what I got! Though we had to wake up early (at 3am) in the morning in Calcutta to reach Chennai in the afternoon, then meet my grandparents and watch a movie there, then go to bed late because we couldn't get home on time 11pm and wake up early (4am) again, to take 7 hour train-journey to Mysore, then take a 4 hour jeep ride to our cousins place, to we were all still fired up for a game of basketball that evening, and enjoy a post dinner caroling session after that. Such was the excitement!
Spending quality time with family is something I haven't been able to do for a long time, let alone with the extended family. So, the five month vacation at home with parents climaxing to a 3 day fun-time with the extended family was just what I needed.
Fun treks around the plantations, last-minute-gift shopping, the gorgeous food (courtesy Chitie) singing Christmas carols, pushing eachother to sing solos, pulling eachother's legs, talking and sharing lives and praying together made it so unforgettable.
We were worried if the trip would weary us out, because of all the travelling with so less time spent together. We had prayed hard that the trip would be rejuvenating and not tiresome, and praise God it was! ... err.. rejuvenating.
Can't wait for the next grand family get-together!
But things worked out so well by God's grace, all the tickets were booked and confirmed without much hassle (how was that possible in the holiday season?!)
Being someone who has only just gathered up the courage to make mile-long walks after months of not leaving the house compound on foot due to fear of exhaustion, I found the prospect exciting. Fun with cousins in the middle of tea and cardamom plantations would test my physical stamina and pump clean fresh-tea-and-cardomom-filled air into my TB fluid filled lungs making it a truly rejuvinating experience. Just what I need.
And it's just what I got! Though we had to wake up early (at 3am) in the morning in Calcutta to reach Chennai in the afternoon, then meet my grandparents and watch a movie there, then go to bed late because we couldn't get home on time 11pm and wake up early (4am) again, to take 7 hour train-journey to Mysore, then take a 4 hour jeep ride to our cousins place, to we were all still fired up for a game of basketball that evening, and enjoy a post dinner caroling session after that. Such was the excitement!
Spending quality time with family is something I haven't been able to do for a long time, let alone with the extended family. So, the five month vacation at home with parents climaxing to a 3 day fun-time with the extended family was just what I needed.
Fun treks around the plantations, last-minute-gift shopping, the gorgeous food (courtesy Chitie) singing Christmas carols, pushing eachother to sing solos, pulling eachother's legs, talking and sharing lives and praying together made it so unforgettable.
We were worried if the trip would weary us out, because of all the travelling with so less time spent together. We had prayed hard that the trip would be rejuvenating and not tiresome, and praise God it was! ... err.. rejuvenating.
Can't wait for the next grand family get-together!
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